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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24193780">Cause I'm so Sick of Being so Lonely</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living_Fast/pseuds/Living_Fast'>Living_Fast</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Live Fast and Die Young [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fast and the Furious (2001), Fast and the Furious Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And She gets angry when called thAT, Brian has issues, Brian has issues but they get addressed because The Toretto Clan is Best Family, Cursing? I GUess, F/F, F/M, Families of Choice, Female Brian O'Conner, Found Family, HAHAHAAahaha, He not be a Pig, I made Canon my Bitch., IT's BEeN 3 YEArs, If anyone actually reads these, It's like two sentences and Brian kicks his ass, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Not a Cop Brian O'Conner, OOC, Oh, Suicidal Thoughts, Vince is an ass but He's their ass, and i still have no idea, but do i care?, don't tell anyone, hi, i'm losing my MIND, idk how to tag, mentions of assault, mentions of guns, no, no beta we die like fucking men, sorta darker themes, this is important, this is so, vince - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:02:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,370</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24193780</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Living_Fast/pseuds/Living_Fast</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Tuna?” </p><p>“Please.” her voice almost cracks. She can feel it in the bottom of her throat. “And Maybe a whole bottle of Vodka if you have it.” </p><p>Mia’s eyes soften around the edges, placing a bottle of coke in front of her. “Maybe some other time Bria.” </p><p>Brian wrinkles her nose, Which makes Mia laugh as she places the crappy tuna sandwich in front of her. “You really just like Brian, don’t you.” Brian shrugged, ignoring Vince as he moved a seat closer. “Been Brian as long as I could speak for myself, and Rome never called me anything else. ‘xpect maybe Stupid.” Mia looks sad for a split second.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Brian O'Conner/Dominic Toretto, Jesse (Fast and the Furious)/Leon (Fast and the Furious), Letty Ortiz/Mia Toretto, Vince/Loneliness because I forgot to Give him a love interest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Live Fast and Die Young [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760824</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>291</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cause I'm so Sick of Being so Lonely</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've been rewatching these movies because for some reason I own all of them. (IDK blame my Father for getting me hooked on them.)<br/>And I got this idea, and it's been a work in progress for like 3 weeks. I should be doing my School Work or working on any other Fic I have. </p><p>But no the Brain demanded this, so this is what I have to show. </p><p>The title is from "Lonely" by Noah Cyrus. </p><p>So yeah. </p><p>Enjoy I guess?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Mia made good Company, Brain liked talking to her- she never looked at her weird, even when she learned her name. All she did was complain that Brain should eat something other than the crappy tune. Which was a significant factor for Brain to keep coming back, not the tuna; Mia liked to talk to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian had only started at Henry’s about two months ago, though she had been living in the city for about four years. She has been job bouncing for a while, and she really liked working at Henry’s; he never questioned Brian.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But with Mia came Dom, and With Dom, was Vince, Leon, Jesse, and Letty. All who weren’t very fond of Brian. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, except Letty(and Jesse for entirely different reasons), for some reason, it took her about a week to stop calling her a Bitch. Brian wasn’t after Mia romanticly- which was probably Letty’s main reasoning for her anger. Mia was her Girl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jesse called her Beautiful on the occasions she was here when he came in- Henry let her take her lunch break whenever as long as she ate. While Brain was flattered, she knew she wasn’t that good looking. The Wild curls she had cropped close to her head- shaved the sides on her own, which looked terrible- but she couldn’t stand having her hair long. The blue eyes sure- but they weren’t very friendly from what she’d been told. She was on the lanky side- too tall. Her ass wasn’t bad, she runs when she has the chance, her boobs are small.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The freckles she had everywhere didn’t help. Nor did the fact that she dressed like a Teenage Boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she just smiled at him- and didn’t say anything. The ditzy blonde, Rome, never liked it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vince didn’t like her at all, and she didn’t like him either. She didn’t appreciate being called “A Pig”; she wasn’t- she never had been. Didn’t even pass the Physical to get into the Academy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So no, she didn’t appreciate it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s also pretty sure Vince would, hell he probably will; kick her ass if she smiled at Mia wrong. And she’s Tempted to just not come back- but Mia’s Nice, Let’s Brain listen on days she doesn’t want to talk, and grins at her when Brian won’t shut up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So the first and only Time Vince gets in her space leads to Brain Getting up and leaving. Pays Mia doesn’t smile- doesn’t say “see you tomorrow” like she usually does. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Vince Follows, yells something at her- she’s too tired for smartass remarks- then he Grabs her waist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So yeah, Brain feels Justified in her reasoning for Punching him. She’s learned enough from Roman, fighting dirty, and how to use their weight Against them. Brian isn’t stupid. And she’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>weak</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when Mia Starts Screaming for Dom, when Brian’s shoved up against The Truck Henry’s letting her drive, and she keeps Screaming when Brain Knees Vince in the Balls- and Breaks his nose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s Still screaming when Dom pulls Brain off of Vince and shoves her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Scraps her hands on the gravel of the parking lot, lips curling into a Snarl when Jesse Snatches up her wallet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He passes it to Dom- and Brian’s ears keep ringing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Abrianna Lynn O’Conner. Sounds like a Serial Killer.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian Brushes the bits of gravel from her palms, stinging as blood runs down her Wrists. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not my fault, my Mother was an Asshole.” She snatches her wallet back from the eldest Toretto, shoving it in her back pocket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She twisted on her heel- and didn’t say anything else. Not even when Dom told her she was fired. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Henry has rolled his eyes at her, told her she wasn’t fired, but he would prefer her to go home and get some sleep. Maybe not bleed on his floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Brian went home- she didn’t sleep, she changed clothes. And went to work on her Eclipse the neon Green sometimes pisses her off, but she’s not in the mood for a paint job. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or has the money for it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s going to have to race this Damn Car for Pinks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she’s pissed off about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman would be yelling at her if he could, that’s all they seemed to do anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t go to work the next day, Henry had called her early and told her to stay home and not come to work tomorrow. They argued for a while about her not being able to afford a day off. Henry told her he’d pay for the missed day and afternoon, and not even take it off her sick days. Which she won’t ever use, probably won’t be around long enough too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t go back to that dumb little Diner, and she told herself it was because she wasn’t hungry. Not because she was scared of Vince. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And She doesn’t lie to herself, She Doesn’t. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>---</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stays away from the Diner for almost two weeks, before Henry notices she isn’t taking a lunch break. He pokes her in the ribs, tells her to go see Mia-</span>
  <em>
    <span> It’s on him </span>
  </em>
  <span>- hands her a 20 and shoves her out the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian’s already had a shitty day, some asshole bringing Parts over, dropped the engine she was working on her left hand- breaking two fingers, the swelling gave it away. She couldn’t sleep, she can’t pay for a haircut right now, so the stringy blonde curls are getting in her eyes too much. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she’s fucking Hungry all the damn Time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So yes, she does half stumble over to the counter. Ignores the shit out of Vince and Dom- who both stand when she walks in. Plops herself in her usual seat, and Smiles mutely at Mia. Who’s looking at her like she’s seen a Ghost. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tuna?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please.” her voice almost cracks. She can feel it in the bottom of her throat. “And Maybe a whole bottle of Vodka if you have it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mia’s eyes soften around the edges, placing a bottle of coke in front of her. “Maybe some other time Bria.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian wrinkles her nose, Which makes Mia laugh as she places the crappy tuna sandwich in front of her. “You really just like Brian, don’t you.” Brian shrugged, ignoring Vince as he moved a seat closer. “Been Brian as long as I could speak for myself, and Rome never called me anything else. ‘xpect maybe Stupid.” Mia looks sad for a split second. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you and Rome, okay?” Her voice is soft, and it dawns on Brian that the way she Talks About Roman could make people think he’s an Abusive Boyfriend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Roman Is in Chino, and no, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s my Dumbass Best Friend.” Mia almost looks relieved, but she still looks sad and worried. Like she expected a different answer and was practically disappointed about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian pauses, stares at the sandwich for a moment. “Well he was My Best Friend, I haven’t spoken to him in almost 5 years.” She shrugs like Roman was the sole reason she didn’t drive a car into a brick wall when they were kids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mia doesn’t ask any more questions about Roman, Brian eats her sandwich in peace; before Vince opens his damn mouth. “Didn’t I tell you to Stay away.” and She’s so damn tired. That she actually snorts- then points her coke bottle at him. “I am the least Threatening Person in the building, and I’m sure you could snap me in half if you wanted too. But If you try and touch me again. No amount of Alpha male,” She waves at Dom. “Will keep me from killing your ass.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vince stares at her as she turns away from Him, and Grins what she knows is a dopy ass smile, hands her the 20. She shoves the rest of the damn tuna sandwich in her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because she’s fucking hungry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Waves at Vince, Mumbles a “See you tomorrow Mia.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She does not see her tomorrow. And Brian gets so pissed about, why do people think it’s cool to follow people home… fucking Drunk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she finally isn’t bruised to shit and can move without wanting to puke. She gets to race, and no matter how tired and pissed off she is. Can be reckless without someone wanting to call the cops on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So what if she ends up losing the Car to Dom of all people- he doesn’t lose. And she’s not very attached to it anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She did not anticipate Cops, then saving Toretto’s ass, and then Tran. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blew up her fucking Car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian wraps her small jacket around her more, eyes closed, angry that she let him get that close to her. “You alright O’Conner.” Dom’s half staring at her, looking a small bit worried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Some Chinse Asshole just blew up my Fucking Car. I’m doing just peachy, Man.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom laughs just a little bit, “My car.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian lets out a hysterical Giggle. “Details.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walk in silence for a while before Dom asks if she wants a Beer, which is the Second best thing to 2 sleeping pills.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So when Dom swings open the door, and Mia yells something. Brian feels just a tiny bit safe. Even when Vince pins her in the doorway to the kitchen, with such an angry look. “You Brought the Pig back?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian’s nose twitches. “Why does everyone think I’m a cop? I couldn’t pass the Physical if I Tried.” Dom presses a Corona in her hands, giving her a sharp look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Vince shuts his mouth- and Brian drinks her two more beers before getting up to walk home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which causes a whole fuss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can stay here- I don’t like the idea of you walking home.” Mia was the loudest in her protest, “We have a Pull out Couch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian was flattered honestly- but she didn’t- couldn’t stay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You still owe me a 10 second Car, O’Conner.” Brian nodded- “I’m aware, man- but I’m broke as shit. And you kinda got your Car Blown up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom nodded, “I’ll drive you home, Come on.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the end, she becomes somewhat friends with Dominic Toretto. He tolerates her at least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which is more than Brian can say about herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere she ends up being around the Toretto household when she has spare Time, or Henry Kicks her out of the Garage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She brings in the Supra, the engine needs some work. And tried not to laugh at the Face Dom Makes </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Jesse Says 15 Grand and she knows she screws up her nose and furrows her eyebrows. Because Dom tells her she has everything and more in here. That she doesn’t have to worry about cash. (They'll handle it)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Brian stares at him for a long ass time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Whispering out an </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Alright.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>They don’t talk about it again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s invited to dinner on Sunday, and there’s something powerful in that sentence. When Dom asks her to come. (More like her informs her she's coming whether she likes it or not)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian feels so out of Place the entire Time, these people are family. Most of them have known each other their whole lives. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only person she’s ever had any sort of actual care for is Roman, and he hates her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she drinks her beer and ignores most of the questions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your Parents?” It’s an innocent question, but its a loaded one. Brian really doesn’t want to unpack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she shrugs, “My Old man is more likely to Shoot me if I show up on his doorstep, then to greet me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which is true, but Brian doesn’t remember her Dad. Hazy memories of a blue-eyed man, with big hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian can tell they think it’s a joke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It might be if she knew he wasn’t dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dom stares at Blondie, hair falling in her face- probably Fucking around with the wiring. He doesn’t really know what to do with her; she’s slowly becoming one of his people. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure Vince hates her for some unknown reason, but Mia likes her- had come back to the house the day Brian started Coming to the Diner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Talking about A tall blonde, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“She’s really Pretty Dom.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>And Mia wasn’t wrong- and Dom did plenty of staring when she came in the next day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tall was an understatement, she’s all long legs. Baggie Tee, tucked into her Jeans. Chucks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blonde hair cropped into a man’s Hairstyle, the top long, curly. Sides shaved, pushed out of her face with probably a hand every 20 seconds. Leaving it messy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blue eyes that looked like they could kill someone. Ringed with dark bruises.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s covered in freckles.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Pretty was an understatement, Mia. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She talked about Someone Named </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rome, </span>
  </em>
  <span>a shit ton, and he was starting to suspect an Abusive Boyfriend (When he later meets Roman Pearce, it’s not all as it sounds. He’s her Moody older brother). Mia had been too, yelled at Vince for touching her; </span>
  <em>
    <span>They didn’t know what she’d been through. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian pressed her hands against her eyes, she’s exhausted, so damn Tired. Henry tapped her shoulder and told her he was closing up shop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded, cleaning her hands on a rag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Night Abria.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian only remembers saying a Soft Hello to Jesse, before going out to work on the Supra. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom finds her passed out on the Engine Block. Fingers slack around a piece of the engine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picks her up, Lanky limbs swinging uselessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s much taller than him, despite her height; she’s Extremely Light. All bones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom pushes open the back door with his foot, Brian unconsciously curling into Dom. Vince looks up from his beer and snorts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Barbie Fall asleep in the Garage?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mia shoves Vince off the couch with her foot, as Leon laughs softly. Letty gripped Mia’s waist, moving them to another chair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Don placed O’Conner on the couch, watching her sink in the cushions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On the engine block of all things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jesse tossed a Blanket over Her, before hopping upstairs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sleeps for two damn days, curled up on their couch, tucked under a blanket. Keeps the Toretto household quiet for the First Time in years. No one wants to wake her up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She gets up on Friday morning, scrubs at her eyes, hair a mess. Mia smiles at her- which freaks her out of a few seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t her apartment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowns, eyebrows pinching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning Brian.” Leon pops in when he realizes she’s awake. And Brian nods slowly in response. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Hi?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom hands her a cup of coffee: “You fell asleep working on the Supra.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then She nods; okay yeah, she remembers that. Vague. She downs half the cup before realizing she doesn’t have to drink it all in one go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What time is it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jesse plops down on the couch next to her. “You mean, what day is it?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian whips around to stare at him, blue eyes wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s Friday. By the way.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gets loud for the First Time since Roman has kicked her out. “Holy Shit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they finally get the Supra running- actually running. Brian grins like a crazy person. And Dom laughs at her, actually laughs. Not the snort he makes when he’s amused. He laughs at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian’s grin is all teeth and no real amusement. The itch is creeping back in her body. The one to hit 150 in 45; to run the car into a brick wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s no Roman to stop her this time. But now she’s got, Mia, and Dom. The Car isn’t even Hers- but at some point, she thinks it does. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Dom Tells her about Race Wars, sitting in the front seat. A Corona in hand while Brian leans against the door, reaching into the car to fidget with the Gear shift. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dom comes to her Apartment on Saturday, hands her the keys, and tells her they are going on a ride. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They drive for a while, no one says anything for a long time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Dom asks her about Roman. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s my brother… well, was I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom shakes his head and asks her to tell her about him again. And she doesn’t get it, not really so. She just starts talking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s three years older than her, she met him when his Mom first lost her husband. They moved down the road. And Roman being Roman was having a Pissing constant with one of the other boys. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got his ass beat; Dom laughed a little bit. And suddenly Brian couldn’t stop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was the one who talked him into Boosting cars; steal them for the night. Race- he was the one with the driver’s license. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was the one who taught her to fly- fed the reckless kid who wanted to Drive her Mom’s new boyfriend of the week’s car off a cliff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His Mom became hers somewhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She talked about how much she missed him- wish she hadn’t fucked up- but they both knew it was only a matter of Time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian’s Mom killed herself the year she got out of Juvy. Found her in the bathtub with a needle stuck in her arm, OD. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They took care of Brian- put up with her shitty choices. And then Brian wanted to clean it up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She told Dom that she wanted to help people- be a cop. She laughs when she tells him she didn’t even pass the physical. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Doesn’t tell him why. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he looks at her like that was the stupidest choice she almost made. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moved to LA, two years before Roman got popped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blamed her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dom bought her lunch; then let her drive back to the house. Leaned back in his seat; and told her to <em>go</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Brian went. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t plan to stay- she feels like they all know that. But none of them Pull away, not even when she does. They just take up the empty space she leaves, which is okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s been around too long anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman called it Running- when they talked about it. Brian called him bullshit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And they stopped. Because that’s how it worked. They didn’t question each other’s choices, just called them bullshit, and didn’t talk about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They just made sure they didn’t get each other killed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>These People didn’t stop talking about it, they pushed and shoved at Brian. Made her talk about it- and the Stupid part was that Brian let them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like how Dom got her to talk about Roman for hours. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mia handed a bottle of Raspberry Vodka to Brian, who blinked before taking a drink from the bottle. Letty, who was already tipsy, was leaning against the bed. The three moved to Mia’s bedroom after the Boy’s started playing Games. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian could have stayed downstairs, but Mia promised her a bottle of Vodka. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So the three may have ended up getting drunk off their asses, it wasn’t even good Vodka. But Letty had three bottles of the shit. (They only drink One and about half of the other, Mia clutches the Third unopened bottle in her hands the more they get drunk.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian Giggled. “I’m probably going to end up with Alcohol Poisoning.” Letty pushed her shoulder. Mia reached over to hold Brian steady. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom pushed open the door three hours later to find all three girls passed out on Mia’s bed. Letty curled around Mia, hand slung over her waist. With Brian’s head, Pressed into Mia’s Stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A bottle clutched in her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mia blinked up at him, sleepy. “We’ve got her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom knew they did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brain kicked ass at race wars, wild grin; blue eyes lit up. Dom almost didn’t know what to do with her. She’s everything he’d seen the last Time she Raced, her body lose, Curls actually styled around her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her shirt was actually Letty’s he realized, it didn’t exactly hug her- they were slowly working on the food Problems- but the black jersey hung down past her hips. A white tank top underneath that was Mia’s. He knows that somewhere Mia just started adding Brian’s laundry to their own- Her and Letty’s things tend to get mixed up anyway. So it’s not really a surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What is, is her grinning like a mad man- before swinging herself upon him like he’s a jungle gym. He catches her hips, supporting her Against his own. She’s laughing, and he wants to know the person who took this from her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wants to know the person who snuffed out her candle, clipped her wings. Because she’s stunning hair is a mess, Fingers looped around his neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Dom knows he’s smiling at her, hardly- but he’s amused. Happy, with how pleased with herself, she looks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Jesse Races his Jetta and loses. Against Johnny Fucking Tran of all People. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And suddenly it all goes to shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian doesn’t yell, she doesn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She has a list of Rules, </span>
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<em><span>Anger is hard, cold. They can’t know they get under Your Skin</span></em><span>.</span>
</li>
<li><em><span>Don’t get attached- everyone gets bored of you eventually. </span></em></li>
<li><em><span>And You don’t lie to yourself. </span></em></li>
</ul><p>
  <span>So when she starts screaming at Dom, everybody shuts the Fuck Up. He’s gone silent, Jesse is still missing, Vince, Letty, and Leon have vanished. And She’s Angry </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s so Fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>Angry.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>So she breaks Every Damn Rule she has. She’s attached, and if Dom keeps doing this, he’s going to get himself killed- and Damnit She’s yelling, and it hurts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Yeah, she has been Lying to herself, for a really long time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jesse stumbles out, crying, apologizing. And Dom hears it. Tran comes speeding around the corner, and O’Conner is quicker than the rest of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Jesse is Still frozen, apologizing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom Doesn’t see it, but when he gets up, Brian has rolled off of Jesse. Lying still on the sidewalk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Jesse starts Screaming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s laughing- it’s dry and humorless. “Dammit, I Liked this Shirt.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian stays in the hospital for 2 weeks, which is absolute Hell. She’s never liked them, at all - when they rushed Mom to one, even though she was already Dead. When her Shitty Dad drove his car into the River- they spent 2 days then. Brian had been little, but she knew he Didn’t come back after that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hell When Roman had gotten a Concussion even though His Mama was a nurse, they still spent three hours in the ER. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian just wants to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Go Home</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when she’s wheeled out, wearing one of Dom’s shirts; and a pair of Mia’s sweatpants. For some reason, the Toretto Clan deemed her clothing unworthy. Dom’s standing there, grunts that he can take it from here; Brian really Breathes for the First Time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She takes too long to heal, the itch is back- but every damn person in this house is adamant that she follows All of her Doctor’s Orders. When she throws something at Vince that Breaks when it hits the wall, they realize that Abrianna Lynn is not meant to do nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jesse teaches her how to Play Gta until she gets Frustrated, Then Vince just hands her his Old Guitar and leaves her to figure it out. She doesn’t, but it keeps her attention for almost a week. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian drags herself out of the house when Mia’s at class, Jesse and Leon are passed out somewhere. Dom, Letty, and Vince are at DT’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she takes a cab, doesn’t say anything to the driver- and he drops her off at a little restaurant out of the way. She walks back, somewhere it starts raining- and she’s smiling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s well after dark when she gets back, soaked to the bone- her side and hip hurt like fucking Hell. But she’s not a live wire, her shoulders slump. She’s tired, and she’s so happy that Codeine knocks her the fuck out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She toes off her soaked Chucks, the house oddly quiet for 7 pm. There’s a set of nails that have been well nailed into the wall. Dom has one rule about them. You get home, you put your keys here. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when almost all of them are Gone except the Chargers and the Supra. Brian puts two and two together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She debates calling Dom, before deciding she doesn’t want to be yelled at- she’s making a list in her head. </span>
</p>
<ul>
<li><em><span>Call Letty- because she might get mad, but she won’t scream at you. </span></em></li>
<li><em><span>Take a Shower, her clothes are starting to dry. And she smells like a wet dog. </span></em></li>
<li><em><span>Take the Pills Mia keeps telling her to take. </span></em></li>
<li><em><span>Go curl up on Dom’s bed, because she wants too. </span></em></li>
</ul><p>
  <span>Letty takes 15 minutes to calm down, she’s mad, but she’s not yelling. She tells Brian she’s coming back, she’ll call the rest of the Team. Brian Mumbles out okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before She hangs up, Letty tells her to get something to eat before she takes anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s passed out on Dom’s bed when they all get back, Blonde hair curled around her face, and all over Dom’s pillow. It’s still wet. Asshole. He takes a shower, his anger simmers; she just wanted out of the house for a few hours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t blame her honestly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he pulls on shorts and curls up next to her. She doesn’t rouse, just curls closer to him after he lays an arm over her good hip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They don’t ever talk about the sleeping situation; she ends up in someone’s bed when she can sleep. And lately, it’s just been Dom’s bed. He has a stupid sleep pattern too, but it’s regular. He actually sleeps every night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’s finally Deemed Healthy, Brian takes full advantage of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when Brian comes downstairs at a full sprint, laughing her ass off, Vince chasing after her. “Come here, Lanky!” They really don’t say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She slips on the tile when her new chucks don’t quite stick, she giggles when she almost slams into Letty. Before crashing out of the back door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vince isn’t so lucky in that department, his socks slide out from under him, he smashes into Letty both crashing into Mia. He growls out a string of cuss words before chasing after her. Yelling </span>
  <em>
    <span>O’Conner </span>
  </em>
  <span>as he goes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Letty pushed Mia out of the way to pick up the cups Vince knocked over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian giggled, tripping when her hip finally gave out, crashing into the overgrown gravel yard. Vince tripped over her, his yell was unVince. High and shrilly, Brian, despite her stinging palms and ripped jeans, was laughing her ass off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a Bitch Lanky.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She just grinned up at him. And Vince just grins back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dom pulls Brian into his lap, her arms winding around his neck like a second nature. Sure they never discussed it, but she’s Dom’s Girl. Through and Through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the same sense, He’s her’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian fidgets the entire ride, hands twisting around her flannel- Dom reaches over and lays a hand over her restless fingers. He raises an eyebrow at her- blue eyes suddenly shy. Darting across the cab. “J’s t haven’t seen him in a while.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they pull up, he’s already started walking </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman stared at them for a while, before slipping in the back seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian danced around him for days, Dom worked his jaw- he wasn’t going to say anything, not his Place. Roman was still keyed up, caged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took Roman mouthing off at Brian before she shoved him across the living room, mouth spitting angry Spanish. Her hands curled and uncurling. Blue eyes on fire, “Bitch.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was blood on the floor before the two were done, shoved outside. Brian Fought dirty, lips bloody, as well as her teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman gave as good as he got. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly Dom was staring at a completely different Brian. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one who grew up with a shitty mom, and a variety of her equally Shitty Boyfriends. The one before Juvy, the one who wore bruised Cheekbones as badges of honor, and everyone knew they would be risking fingers to even come close. Who’s Her best friend was 3 years older than her, who taught her to drive a car, wash laundry, and cook, all because her Mom was too high to care about her only kid. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one who once (it was more than Once, but they don’t talk about the Time she almost did.) threatened to Drive a car into a Brick wall just because she wanted to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The one who raised herself, the one who refused help from anyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom watched them through the window, Her rolling on the ground. Both Spitting Curses. Who took care of these two Dumbass Kids?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She and Roman finished it off with laying in the backyard, bleeding, and Bruised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laughing- loudly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brain’s laugh was big and Bright. Something Dom hadn’t heard yet. She squealed when Roman bushed two fingers over her exposed Stomach, then she started coughing - and clutching at her Stomach. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Roman kept laughing- reaching up to wave a hand in the air. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re an Asshole Roman Pearce, a Fucking Asshole.” She clutches her ribs, glaring at him with a smile on her face. He smacks her in the face, lightly. Tapping at her cheeks. “And you’re a Reckless, Dumbass. What’s new.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And She Laughs even Harder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman stands, before helping her up. Shoving her shoulder, and she pushed him back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her mouth pulled into a smile, her nose bleed staining her shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian was still in bed when Dom woke up, which startled him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s tucked against his side, all long limbs pressed into a ball; one looped under her head. Hair still uncut, haloed around her head. Her face was resting against his neck. Fingers tracing his ribs carefully, half asleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bri?” his voice was heavy with Sleep, eyes blinking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She twitched, looking up at him as he moved his hand to her hip. His pointer finger resting on the puckered Scar there. Her hand stilled- lips curling into a half-smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hummed softly, breathing against his neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom ran his free hand through tangled curls, knowing she was going to cut it herself or have Mia do it. She tapped one of his ribs. “What are we.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her voice muffled and Tired. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Dom thinks about it, about the first Time he met her, about the Time she Almost broke Vince’s nose, about how Mia talks about her, how she listens to Jesse Talk, will drink shitty Flavored Vodka with Letty. She grumbles at Leon when he gives her the wrong Tool on purpose- but makes him go get her the right one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She means everything to Dom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom Twists a little, pressing a kiss to her cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think, Babe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her Smile rivels the Sun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You don’t fuck with Brian O’Conner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not because she’s Dom’s Women. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But because she’s Brian O’Conner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> The Girl who Drives a Supra, but Owns a 1970s Dodge Challenger that’s a work in progress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She may drive imports, but she knows when a Car might just be what she wants. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian O’Conner can take care of herself, bloody lips, and Feral Baby Blues. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom loves her more than Life itself sometimes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it really should scare him, because she’s more likely to cut her own breaks for a joke- than to die old. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows that when he wakes up and those days, she’s still curled up next to him, that She won’t. With her hair longer than it’s been since she was 13 (Roman said she Cut it after her Mom kicked her out the first Time), curled around her shoulders. Curled around her face, a Rats nest she doesn’t know how to take care of. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom knows that sometimes she wants to run a car into a brick wall, just to see. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Can see it in her hands, her Smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian pressed her nose against Dom’s neck, legs curled around his waist. “You can walk.” She smiles, puffing air out of her mouth. “What if I don’t want to?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t say anything in return, so Brian knows she’s won. She stares at the car, the Challenger almost ready to go. “I wanna go Fast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Dom Laughs, a happy sound Brian learned she loves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nods. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when Dom, lets go of her legs and leaves the Garage to walk to the house. She’s a little worried. She doesn’t ask him to drive her often, but he knows what Fast means. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian stares at the Charger, picking at her nails. Eyes skimming the build. The fear in the room, the excitement buzzing in her bones. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She whispers, “Fast.” holding the words on her lips. Tugging at her(Dom’s) shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He comes back and slides into the passenger. Looks at her, expectantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>--- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t open her up on the highway, which is typical. Dom’s more of a fan of Quarter Miles. Not early morning Traffic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wants to go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Go.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Go. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he Pulls over and hands her the keys. Meets her eyes and refuses to look away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian stares before her lips pull into that feral Smile that Scares Dom sometimes. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Go.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian Slides into the driveway, missing both Vince and Letty’s car. And the Charger Rumbles to a Stop just behind Leon’s. Dom can’t help the grin that pulls at his own lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Letty yells from where she’s leaning over the porch, a beer held between her fingers. She’s smiling, and it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian hands the keys back to Dom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bouncing up the steps presses a thoughtless kiss to Mia’s Cheek, trails a hand over Letty’s arm, before slipping into the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom watches her go, his DTs Shirt</span>
  <em>
    <span> (Toretto branded on the back)</span>
  </em>
  <span> slipping off one shoulder, hanging down to her hips a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mia leans over Letty’s shoulder to take her beer. “Cops came to the Garage After You left this morning.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom tenses, the comfortable feeling of Being in a Car with Brian gone. “What did they want?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Letty Hums, “One Miss. Abrianna Lynn.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dom doesn’t bring it up to her- and no one else does. Roman doesn’t even grumble about it, he just closes his eyes for a minute and puffs air slowly through his nose. Like he knows something, they don’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which he probably does. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian stares at Tanner, he’s Leaning on the Truck. She almost drops the parts she’s taking over to DTs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t smile at her, and her Stomach drops to her toes. Leaching fear gripping at her shoulders again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tanner.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She really tries to Handle the box with some care. She’s angry suddenly, hard and tight in her shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your landlord called me, you’ve missed three months worth of Rent.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian curses herself, tugging at her shirt. Digging around in her pockets for the keys. “I don’t live there, and why Would she call you of all people?” Brian gave the lady Tanners number when she moved in as an <em>“If you can’t reach me, He might be able to”</em> she didn’t expect her to call him when the rent started getting really late. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure she never told her Landlord that she moved. It wasn’t really her fault, it just happened. Vince stole her keys, and less than three hours later. Half her closest is in Dom’s, and her Bathroom joins the edge of the Master bathrooms shower. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hell, she hardly knows where her Apartment Keys are. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she found she really didn’t care. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she stops the 800 dollars a month to her Landlord and just stays in Dom’s bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tanner raises an eyebrow at her, “You Living on the Street Again?” Brian Bristles, snapping the Tailgate close harder than she needs too. “No, Tanner. I’m not 18- I’m not your Ward.” she glares at him before waving off Henry, who is standing there ready to intervene. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tanner takes a step back, his uniform looking so out of Place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can take care of myself. And I have a job to do.” She reaches in to start the trunk and plops herself into the driver’s seat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tanner looks unconvinced. (She honestly doesn't blame him, but she's to key up and Stubborn to admit that.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Address.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>“No.” </em>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian takes Dom’s beer and downs it in one go. Before reaching over to take Roman’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both look at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tanner is an asshole.” And Roman laughs- getting another Corona. He comes back with three to replace, Both his and Dom’s, and for Brian to have her own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grumbles a little bit, “He find you?” She takes the beer. “He acts like he’s still in charge of me. Like I didn’t steal half his shit- and book it.” she leans into Dom’s tight hold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman nods, Handing her what’s left of his own beer when she finishes her own. A tense silence held over the two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian lays her head on Dom’s shoulder. “Tanner’s a cop who was my foster Dad for 3 months before I turned 18 and went to live with Roman. While we didn’t really get along, he put up with my ass.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom relaxes, “My landlord called him because she has his number for if I Ever turned up dead.” Brian hates the way both Roman and Dom tense, she rolls her eyes. “She called because I wasn’t paying rent, not because she hasn’t seen me in 6 months.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as the words come out of her mouth, she sits up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had it really been 6 months? Since she won Race Wars, got shot, and Fell head over heels for Domonic Toretto?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tastes the words on her lips a second time. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>A full year. </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She cups Dom’s cheek and kisses him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ignoring Roman’s loud protesting, Dom blinks before kissing her back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gets up to get her own beer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Brian leans against the hood of her Challenger, watching the Race Bunnies move around Cars. Scans the crowd for new faces. A few. A couple of baby faced kids, probably here with Daddy’s money. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one moves towards her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ice</span>
  </em>
  <span>, She’s called more often than not. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dom comes out of the crowd, headed straight towards her, presses a kiss to her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fast?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brian Grins big and Wide. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hell Yeah.” </span>
</p>
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